On November 15, I was able to get in one last harvest of cherry tomatoes. The problem was everyone was burned out on eating tomatoes for the moment. I decided to try something new. I froze them. I did not know how to go about freezing them, but after a quick Google search, I learned how. The most important point posted online by multiple bloggers was to space out the tomatoes on a baking sheet or in a pan when freezing. This prevents them from sticking together and allows you

It has been years since I have made fresh salsa. It has been long enough that my sons don't even remember that I had ever made it. Recently, I had been using tomatoes in salads, for pasta sauce, or ketchup. When I was at my parents' house a few weeks ago, I thought I would take some of their tomatoes off of their hands. They didn't mind. I like fresh salsa, but I know some people only liked it cooked. I can eat it cooked too, but I normally only do that if I am canning my sal

‪As always, we planted pole beans. This year, we grew tri-color pole beans. Our green beans were green, yellow, and purple. Just so you know, the purple green beans turn green when cooked. I love the pop of purple color in the garden. This prompted me to grow tri-color green beans this year. Unfortunately, we didn't pick our green beans as frequently as we should have, so some dried right on the vine. This past weekend, my sons picked all the green beans whether they were dri

‪August is my favorite month of the year for so many reasons. My wedding anniversary, my birthday, my husband's birthday, and my twin sons' half birthday is all in August. Yes, we count the half birthday. (This matters to some children.) August is the month of the Indiana State Fair which I love attending annually and on multiple days during each year. Unfortunately, corona stole the fair from us. August is also the month where I tend to harvest a lot of produce. Let's check

‪Want to learn how to harvest radish seeds? Watch this video. This is part one. Remember, anyone can be a gardener. You just need to get ready, get set, and grow! To keep up with our 2020 garden, make sure you are connected to us on social media: Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @gardenershicole Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gardenershicole/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel Join us on the Wix App #2020 #Garden2020 #Radish

Since spring, I have been collecting eggshells. My family doesn't eat eggs much, and that mostly has to do with me. I only like deviled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. I don't even like to eat them that much. The males in my family mostly like scrambled eggs. Anytime I make them, I have to also make myself an alternative to eat, and this is why we don't eat eggs much. It took me some time to get to a point that I had enough eggshells to fill up the plate above. My great uncle Lindb

We have officially sailed into summer! I am enjoying my summer vacation. We are having our basement remodeled right now, so we won't be traveling. I'm okay with that. 2020 has been an eventful year for us all. Even though this pandemic has kept us all home since March 13, 2020, I don't mind spending my vacation at home. It gives me more time to work on my garden. We have eaten a lot of salad. It has been a mix of kale, lettuce, radishes, and mint leaves. Although it has only

A few years after my sons were born, I started making smoothies at home. It was one action I took to return to my pre-pregnancy weight. I experimented with different combinations of fruits and vegetables. My favorite combination is any fruit with some kale added. A few days ago, I mentioned how I should start making smoothies again. I asked my dad for a new blender for Christmas. Once my old blender bit the dust, I stopped making them. My dad got me a Ninja blender. It's exce

Since March, we have been at home in quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, in May, we were able to see my parents, sisters, and nieces. My dad built my mom a raised bed so she could have an herb garden this year. As a gift, I purchased the herbs she needed to get started. Three generations of my family worked together to plant the herbs. Check out the video. Remember, anyone can be a gardener. You just need to get ready, get set, and grow! To keep up with

On April 2nd, we planted kale. Now, it's ready for harvest. We have harvested Kale to make a massage kale salad. We also made a regular salad. Yesterday, we had burgers, and I added part of a kale leaf to each of our burgers. These kale leaves are huge! Later this week, I am going to make kale chips. My sons and husband really want to make some. Most of all, I am glad I have fresh food to eat. What do you do with Kale? Remember, anyone can be a gardener. You just need to get

These are the herbs we took with us from our garden from our first house. I was nervous about taking them, but I wanted to take part of our garden with us. I'm so glad they survived. I had to move them to a new pot to take them. At our first house, I dug down and partially buried the pots my herbs were in. Over time, the pots weakened. It wasn't worth risking the pots falling completely to pieces. Yes, the thyme and oregano were in separate pots at our first house. We combine

In our last post, we put together six additional raised beds. Yesterday, we added dirt to a few. With all of the necessary restrictions because of COVID-19, I have more time to work on building my new garden but fewer opportunities to get supplies. I limit my garden shopping to times when I am also purchasing groceries in the same store. I have to limit the number of supplies I can buy for the garden while ensuring we have enough groceries to last until my next visit to the s

When I first decided to carry on my family's tradition of gardening, I would only start growing food during the summer. As I got a better handle on what it took to be the lead gardener (which is much different than helping out your parents with their garden as a kid), I decided to grow veggies, fruits, and herbs during spring, summer, and fall. The hardest part was always starting in spring. As an educator, spring signals the start of the last quarter of the school year. Ther

We were on hiatus during the month of February. This is not how we expected the world to be when we returned. During these times, I am grateful that I am a gardener. As most of you know, we are starting a new garden after moving from our first home where we lived for 12 years. One of my sons was really angry that we had to start over. As you will see from the Facebook live video I will link below, Gardener James did not have the best attitude. After the live video ended, I as

We are excited to take our followers behind the scenes as we embark on starting a brand new garden. It's hard to walk away from a garden that we created and worked on for years. It's where my sons learned how to plant their first seeds. I remember their little legs stumbling around the raised beds trying to help Mommy harvest...although something that meant they pulled up an entire plant! I'll always have those memories. Now, it is time to create new memories. Memory one rece